The Lodge at Lakecrest brings the cozy styling of a mountain chalet to Tampa, enveloping a stunning 4.5 acre lake and brimming with exclusive amenities.

The Rental Process

Step 1 - Research

The first step in your search for a new rental is the one that will lay the foundation for the rest of your search. If you do the right homework, ask great questions, and get to know the best people for the job at hand, your renting process will be smooth sailing.

If you're thinking of renting a new place, the first thing you'll want to do is conduct a personal Needs and Wants Analysis. What are things that I want in my new place and what are things that I need in my new place? Start with the things that you need, and round out that list with the things that you want.

How many bedrooms do you need? How many bathrooms do you need? How big of a place do you need? Do you need a garage?

Then, once you have your needs identified, move on to the things that you want. I want a detached, single-family home. I want a pool. I would like at least half an acre. And so on, and so on.

After you've established your Needs and Wants Analysis, it is time to hit the world wide web to conduct a little bit of research on your own. Check out some rentals available for sale on Apartments.com, Realtor.com, HotPads, Zillow, Craigslist, and more. Explore some cool neighborhoods on the Hohman Homes Neighborhoods page. Look up school district information on Realtor.com and Homes.com. See what might and might not work for you using the things you know you will need and want.

Now comes the part where you use the right homework to get in touch with the best people to answer all of your renting questions.

Start with our Teammates here at Hohman Homes. All of our Teammates will have the insight and the experience to guide you through the entire rental process, from seeing your favorite home on Zillow, to connecting with the landlords or property managers, to filling out the application, and to moving in Throughout your entire rental process, the Hohman Homes Team will be looking out for you.

Step 2 - Show

After you've done your homework online about pricing, housing preferences, and service providers, you are ready for the fun stuff. You are now ready to go schedule some showings.

The best way to set up a showing is through your Hohman Homes Teammate. Real estate agents hold the keys - both literally and figuratively - to the places that you want to go see. They can also tell you certain details about the rental that you won't be able to find online or through any other service.

We recommend seeing anywhere from 4 to 8 different properties in a single showing period. The exact number depends on how far away the places are from each other. Expect to spend anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes at each, depending on how much you like that home. And always make sure to give your Hohman Homes Teammate a 24-hour heads up before going to see a place, just in case the landlord or property management of that place has any specific showing requests.

Step 3 - Apply

You've done all your research, and you've seen all the places you want to go see and now you've fallen in love with the perfect rental. Now what? Now comes the part where having a Hohman Homes Teammate makes all the difference. Submitting your application is the most crucial step in securing your new place.

There are several different aspects to the application that the landlord and property manager will look at in details. Specifically, they will want to know your current income level - they want to make sure you can afford the rent. Then, they'll look at your previous rental history - did you make your payments on time? were you a noisy neighbor? did you ever get evicted? Then, the landlords will look at a background and credit check to make sure that you're a good person and not just some weirdo.

It will take about 1 - 3 business days for the landlord and/or property manager to get back with you once you fill out the application and pay your application fee. It is a hot market out there for rentals, so be prepared to fill out multiple applications on several different properties.